Explosions seen in Qatar skies as Iran attacks US bases | ITV News

Iran has said it launched a missile attack Monday on a US military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites.

Footage reported across social media appears to show missiles in the skies above the Qatari capital of Doha, followed by explosions.

Qatar’s Defense Ministry says Iranian strikes did not inflict any casualties.

Iran announced the strikes on state television as martial music played.

A caption on screen called it “a mighty and successful response by the armed forces of Iran to America’s aggression.”

Iran said the attack matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on its nuclear sites this weekend, signaling its likely desire to de-escalate.

It also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.

The attack came shortly after Qatar closed its airspace as a precaution amid threats from Iran.

In the past, Iran has threatened American forces at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the US military’s Central Command.

Qatar, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, maintains diplomatic relations with Iran and shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran.

Qatar Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on Al Udeid base by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards calling it “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, its airspace, and international law.”

The ministry added that the continuation of such military activities endangers the security and stability of the region.

“We call for an immediate end to all military activities,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said.

It comes after Donald Trump hailed the US military's strikes on three of Iran's nuclear sites over the weekend and also suggested he was open to "regime change" in Iran, despite US officials seeking to emphasise that the attacks did not mean America had gone to war with the country.

Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said any country used by the US to strike Iran "will be a legitimate target for our armed forces,” the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East.

Elsewhere, the Gulf Nation of Bahrain says it is temporarily suspending flights in its airspace and has urged residents to avoid driving on the main roads.

Israeli and Iranian strikes continue into day 10

Meanwhile, Israel and Iran traded strikes on Monday as the conflict continues to escalate.

Iran's underground enrichment site at Fordow was hit again a day after it was targeted in the US strikes, Iranian state television reported.

The Tehran regime has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, but its uranium enrichment process has gone far beyond what is required for power stations.

There was no immediate word on damage or who launched the attack at the facility, which is located 60 miles south of Iran's capital, but Israel said earlier it was conducting airstrikes on Iran.